Dissent And Departures: A Lookback At AAP's 7 Most Explosive Break-Ups

New Delhi: The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), established on October 2, 2012, following a massive anti-corruption movement, has faced numerous breakaways since its inception, with the latest major jolt occurring this Friday when seven Rajya Sabha MPs resigned. Here is a lookback at the seven most controversial breakups seen by the party:

1.Co-Founders Expelled

Shortly after winning the Delhi Assembly elections, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) expelled its founding members Yogendra Yadav and Prashant Bhushan for alleged anti-party activities and gross indiscipline. This came after the duo accused Arvind Kejriwal of autocratic behaviour, saying, "AAP is now run by a Khaap (panchayat). All dreams of a movement have been shattered by a small coterie and a dictator."

2. Kumar Vishwas

Poet Kumar Vishwas, who was a founding member of AAP, was slowly sidelined by the party. Vishwas became vocal against the leadership, eventually ceasing all active participation in party affairs.

3. Alka Lamba

In 2018, AAP asked Alka Lamba to resign from the party for opposing the party's proposal to withdraw late Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi's Bharat Ratna over his failure to curb the 1984 anti-Sikh riot, “The party has asked for my resignation. I'm ready to resign but Rajiv Gandhi has sacrificed a lot for country and I didn't support the proposal of taking back his Bharat Ratna. I've been asked to resign because I stood against the decision of the party," she said.

In 2019, she resigned from the party, making the announcement on X (Twitter), urging then Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal to accept her resignation on the social media platform. 

Alka Lamba is presently serving as the President of All India Mahila Congress.

4. Kapil Mishra

Kapil Mishra, a former Water Resources Minister in the Delhi government, was sacked from his ministerial post in 2017. Following his removal, he turned into a whistleblower, alleging he witnessed a bribe of ₹2 crore being paid to Arvind Kejriwal by another minister. 

He was subsequently suspended from AAP and was later disqualified under anti-defection laws. Thereafter, he joined the BJP. He is presently the Minister of Labour of Delhi.

5. Ashutosh & Ashish Khetan

In 2018, senior leaders Ashutosh and Ashish Khetan resigned within a week of each other. Ashutosh, a well-known media face of the party, cited personal reasons, but reports suggested frustration over being sidelined in Rajya Sabha nominations. Khetan also left to pursue his career as a lawyer, both indicating a disillusionment among the intellectual, non-political faces that joined in the early days.

6. Kailash Gahlot

Ahead of the 2025 Delhi assembly elections, senior minister Kailash Gahlot resigned from the party and the cabinet. Gahlot was a prominent face of the cabinet and his departure brought to the fore internal discontent regarding party direction and controversies surrounding the "Sheesh Mahal" (renovation of the CM's residence), significantly weakening the party's image ahead of the polls.

Noting that AAP faces grave challenges, Gahlot said in his resignation letter that “political ambitions” have overtaken AAP's commitment towards people".

He further noted that the “embarrassing and awkward” controversies like the 'Sheesh Mahal' are now making everyone doubt whether the party still believes in being the party of ‘aam aadmi’.

He added that the “political agenda” of AAP members have “severely crippled” the party's ability to even deliver basic services to the people of Delhi.

7. Raghav Chadha, 6 Others Quit

Raghav Chadha, Ashok Mittal, Sandeep Pathak, Harbhajan Singh, Vikram Sahney, Swati Maliwal and Rajendra Gupta resigned from AAP on April 24, 2026. The defectors joined BJP just hours after their resignation from AAP.

The mass resignation comes days after AAP demoted Raghav Chadha, removing him from the post of AAP deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha Parliament amidst an internal rift between him and the party.

It is likely that Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) is in for more setbacks. According to sources, as many as 15 to 18 AAP MLAs in Punjab are unhappy with the party and are in touch with various political parties.

Also Read- The Number Game: After Mass Defection, Who Remains With AAP In Parliament?